Leg garment with expansive panel

ABSTRACT

A flexible garment combining knitted portions with an expansive panel comprised of expansive materials and specifically four way stretch materials to accommodate a range of leg sizes and provide a compression gradient when worn. An article of manufacture and a method of producing a flexible garment with an expansive panel are disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending nonprovisionalapplication Ser. No. 14/665,550 filed on Mar. 23, 2015. Application Ser.No. 14/665,550 is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present general inventive concept is directed to a flexible garmentfor wearing on the foot and leg, and to the particular field of socksand stockings configured for providing a compression gradient andadapting to different leg sizes.

Discussion of the Related Art

Socks are commonly worn by people. Socks such as knee socks cover thefoot and the lower leg and are typically retained by elastic at the topof the sock known as the band or elastic band. Typically the bandpositioned at the top of the sock circumscribes the leg including theuser's calf. The calf presents a larger circumference than the ankle.This presents a challenge for the sock to stay in position as gravityand the smaller circumference of the ankle both work to bias movement ofthe sock towards a position nearer the ankle. Sufficient retaining forcecan mark the skin and cause irritation. The position of the band at thetop of the sock can cause pressure marks on the leg of the wearer andlead to discomfort as the retention force of the sock is concentrated inone section of the garment that typically surrounds the larger sectionof the leg. The band of a sock is often ill suited for the size of awearer's leg and can cause indentation or discomfort over time, or evenbe impossible to wear because the band of the sock cannot expand toreceive a larger leg size. Attempts have been made to address thisproblem such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,536,051 to Oh wherein the elastic bandis repositioned at the ankle. The '051 Patent suggest the relocation ofthe elastic band. What is needed is a more accommodative garment thatprovides vertical retention that is distributed across the upper part ofthe garment and accommodates a wider range of leg sizes.

Compression garments are needed for a variety of medical conditions.Traditional compression solutions include a fabric band or bandage thatis wound around the lower leg to provide compression pressure. Thiscompression can be utilized to prevent the accumulation of fluids in thelower leg. Numerous disadvantages include the need to wind the documentin a time consuming process, irregular results based on inconsistentapplication methods, and the discomfort of bandage materials against theskin.

Socks can have a range of sizes corresponding to a range of shoe sizes.For example, socks can be sold in size 12 indicating that the socks willbe suitable for a user who wears a man's shoe sized 10½ to 11 or awoman's shoe size of 11½ to 12. The shortcoming of this system is thatsocks cover the ankle and calf portions of the leg while shoes do not.Shoes are not sized with any regard to the size of the wearer's leg andthe numerical component of a shoe size merely reflects the distance fromthe toe to heel of a given foot. Width components of shoe sizes are notconsidered in sock sizes. Thus, when socks are sized, manufactured, andsold, they present no accommodation related to the size of the wearer'scalf or leg. Not all humans have the same sized leg, even a samplepopulation corresponding to a single shoe size does not have uniform legsize or calf circumference. Traditional socks, such as tube socks, areknitted or constructed in a continuous circumference with no knit-inheel or toe. More sophisticated sock manufacture inserts a separate heeland toe section, but still provides a nearly uniform circumference forthe leg section or the part of the sock that covers the calf.

Socks are knit on a circular knitting machine. The fact that they areknit on a circular knitting machine dictates the size of the garment.The circumference of the circular knitting machine will determine thesize or circumference of the sock while the needle count will determinethe thickness of the knitted sock. Because socks are knit, woven fabricsare unavailable in conventional sock construction known in the art. Toconstruct a decorative pattern into the sock, additional yarns are usedto provide different colors. These yarns further limit the amount ofstretch available in the sock. A plain sock comprises yarns in aninterlocking pattern and this provides a modest amount of cross stretch.To knit a decorative pattern into a sock, colored yarns are used. Theseyarns are carried on the inside of the sock when they are notincorporated into the pattern, and these yarns are called float yarns.Where they are present, but not knitted, they appear as straight yarnsand are not interlocking, and therefore do not provide any crossstretch. Decorative patterned socks therefore provide less stretch andare less accommodative to leg sizes.

What is needed is a garment that can be manufactured to accommodate thevarious sizes of wearers' legs, and especially patterned, decorativesocks that are visually appealing and can accommodate various leg sizes.What is needed is a garment that combines the comfort of natural fiberswith the flexibility of synthetic fibers in different regions of thegarment to provide regions of advantage. An expansive garment, includinga sock is needed that can be used to provide compression to wearers,including patients, that can benefit from a gradient compression forceapplied to the lower leg.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an aspect of the present invention to provide an accommodatinggarment that can comfortably receive and cover a range of leg sizes. Thepresent invention provides a garment with an expansive panel to provideaccommodation to a range of leg and calf sizes. The expansive panel canbe made of a material that provides sufficient tension to keep thegarment in place along with sufficient elasticity to avoid discomfortand the indentations and markings that accompany socks that are tootight. In an aspect of the invention, the expansive panel comprises afour way stretch material to accommodate the shape of the wearer's leg.An additional aspect of the invention is to provide an aestheticallypleasing sock that appears to be a conventional sock with conventionalappearance and patterning available. It is a further aspect of theinvention to provide a garment for the foot, namely a sock, that cancover the calf or mid-calf without loss of fit or loss of retention whenplaced onto legs of different sizes. An expansive panel can be locatedat the calf region of the garment adjacent to an ankle region or spacedapart from the ankle region of a garment.

An additional advantage of the invention is that the compressive forceto keep the sock up is distributed over a larger area, avoiding theimpact of elastic present only at the top of the sock. A further aspectof the invention provides a compression gradient through the placementof a U shaped expansive panel. A further advantage of the invention isthat the sock avoids bagging and sagging. Advantages include improvedfit, vertical retention, comfort of the wearer, avoidance of restrictedcirculation, aesthetic appeal available in different colors andpatterns, a construction method that allows for conventional materialsin the foot portion of the garment that provide for wicking such ascotton or other natural yarns, or synthetic yarns, or yarn blends.

The above aspects can be obtained by a garment comprising an expansivepanel to accommodate the geometry of a user's calf and ankle. In anembodiment, a sock can be knit on a circular machine to provideinterlocking yarns and cross stretch. The yarns, including float yarns,can be colored to provide an attractive pattern in the sock.Additionally, a stretch fabric such as a four way stretch fabric can beutilized within an expansive panel to allow a sock to accommodate arange of leg sizes. The expansive panel can be formed of a material suchas spandex and located in a visibly discreet location to maintain theconventional and fashionable appearance of the garment. The expansivepanel can be positioned into the rear section of the sock so that thefront of the sock as well as the ankle of the sock appears to be aconventional sock. This provides the wearer with the full range offashion alternatives instead of wearing a sock that appears to beutilitarian and unattractive. Provided herein is a flexible garment forthe foot, including a sock, comprising a foot section configured toreceive a foot of a wearer; a wedge shaped heel section; a leg sectionconfigured to receive a portion of a leg of said wearer; and anexpansive panel extending from adjacent the heel section to the top ofthe garment and connected to said leg section by joining means includingstitching to form a U-shaped seam wherein the expansive panel is widerat the top than at the bottom and the garment thereby providing greatercompression pressure around the bottom of the leg section than at thetop of the leg section. A flexible garment is disclosed comprising afoot section produced by knitting and configured to receive a foot of awearer; a leg section produced by knitting and configured to receive aportion of a leg of said wearer; and an expansive panel connected tosaid leg section by stitching said expansive panel to said leg sectionto create a continuous U-shaped seam wherein the band at the top of theleg section and the panel border at the top of the expansive panelcombine to define an opening. In a particular embodiment the leg sectionextends at least seven inches from the opening and the expansive panelextends at least six inches from the opening. In a knee sock embodiment,the leg section extends at least 16 inches from the opening theexpansive panel extends at least 15 inches from the opening. A method ofmaking a flexible garment is disclosed comprising the steps of providinga knitted sock; removing a U-shaped cutout from said knitted sock;providing an expansive panel; and connecting said expansive panel tosaid knitted sock by joining means.

These together with other aspects and advantages which will besubsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as thestructure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention,will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the followingdescription of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a human foot and leg

FIG. 2 is a side view of a foot and leg of a human with a high bodymass.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a conventional sock.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a knitted sock with a U-shaped cutout.

FIG. 5 is a front view of an expansive panel in an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a garment in an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a garment in an embodiment of theinvention worn by a person.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a patterned garment in an embodiment ofthe invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferredembodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to likeelements throughout.

The present inventive concept relates to an accommodative garment, suchas a sock, that combines a knitted sock with an expansive panel toprovide a sock that will accept and conform to a variety of leg sizes.

FIG. 1 presents a view of a human foot and lower leg. The human foot hasseveral different features that provide for walking and standing. Thetoes 10 are in the front of the foot. The heel 12 is positioned at theback of the foot. The arch 14 is positioned at the bottom of the footwhile the instep 16 is positioned at the top of the foot. The ankle 18defines the transition between the foot and the lower leg 20. The lowerleg 20 generally presents a flat profile in the leg front 22. The shinbone or tibia contributes to the geometry of the leg front 22. The calf24 is positioned at the rear of the leg. The rear of the leg presents anexpanding profile so that the lower leg 20 presents ankle circumference17 at the ankle 18 and a calf circumference 21 measured around the calf24. A typical woman's ankle can have a circumference of 8 to 11 inchesand a typical calf can have a circumference of 13 to 14 inches. Atypical man's ankle can have a circumference of 10 to 13 inches and acalf circumference of 14 to 17 inches.

FIG. 2 presents a side view of a foot and leg of a human with a highbody mass. While weight is distributed differently among people, mostcommonly the foot does not reflect increased body mass as much as thelower leg 30. Ankle 19 may have an increased ankle circumference of 9 to13 inches. Calf 34 may be increased in size and contribute to increasedcalf circumference 31 of from 15 to 17 inches and in some cases morethan 17 to 24 inches. The leg front 32 still presents a relativelysmooth profile dominated by the underlying shin bone, not shown. Thecalf 34 is shown as enlarged and presents a profile that slopes outward.Men and women can have calf sizes ranging to 24 inches or more. Medicalconditions or disorders can lead to increased calf sizes. Lymphedema,diabetes, and other conditions can contribute to swelling or increasedleg sizes. The application of a pressure gradient to the lower leg canhelp reduce swelling.

FIG. 3 presents a side view of a conventional sock. Socks are typicallyknitted on a circular knitting machine. Tube socks are knitted withoutany regard to foot geometry and are produced as a tube or cylinder thatis closed at the bottom and remains open at the top for insertion of thefoot. More sophisticated methods include incorporating a toe section andan arcuate heel section to increase conformity with the foot as shown inFIG. 3. Toe section 50 can be knitted and left open and then sewn tocreate a toe seam to close the cylinder of the foot section 55, orproduced by other methods known in the art. Foot section 55 can beproduced by knitting and configured to receive a foot of a wearer. Heelsection 52 is knit and finished on a boarding machine as is known in theart to create a heel curve or arcuate heel section. Heel section 52helps to form the sock into an L shape so that it mimics the shape ofthe foot and lower leg. Leg section 51 comprises leg front 58 and legrear 59. Leg section 51 can be produced by knitting in a generally tubeshape and configured to receive a portion of a leg of a wearer, andterminates in band 56 where the knitting is finished. Band 56 can beribbed and can be formed of elastic materials such as expansive threadsor yarns. Band 56 can be knitted around an elastic material such as anelastic band (not shown) or other expandable material to providecompression and retain fit when worn on the leg. The limitations of thisapproach are discussed above. In a particular embodiment providing aknee sock, leg rear 59 can be 13 inches in length to 16 inches in lengthmeasured from heel section 52 to band 56.

FIG. 4 presents a side view of a knitted sock with a U-shaped cutout. Inorder to accommodate the larger leg features shown in FIG. 2, a knittedsock is provided, and the knitted material is partially removed andshown at the right of the figure. Cutaway 60 may be a U-shaped cutout.Cutaway 60 can be removed by cutting, with scissors, or other meansknown in the art. Use of a mechanical shear or other automated devicecan be employed to remove cutaway 60 such as a piercing or punchingprocess analogous to the use of a punch and die. The size of cutaway 60is a portion of leg rear 59 as shown in FIG. 3. Cutaway 60 is a portionof the leg section 51 and the size may vary depending on the height ofthe sock or garment. Cutaway 60 can be six inches in length or more witha preferable range of 13 to 16 inches to provide coverage of the lowerleg beneath the knee. Removal of cutaway 60 reveals opening bottom 62,opening first side 64, opening second side 66, first opening top 67 andsecond opening top 68. After removal of cutaway 60, leg section 51 ispartially tubular; being tubular, with a continuous circumference nearthe ankle of a wearer, adjacent heel section 52, and non-continuouswhere cutaway 60 has been removed.

FIG. 5 is a front view of an expansive panel 70. Expansive panel 70 canbe parabolic shaped or U-shaped with panel bottom 72, panel first side74, panel second side 76, panel first top 77 and panel second top 78.Panel border 79 is shown and defines the upper edge of the expansivepanel. It can be understood that expansive panel 70 would be provided ina shape substantially similar to cutaway 60 to facilitate replacement ofcutaway 60 with expansive panel 70. In an embodiment of the inventionproviding a knee sock, the expansive panel 70 can have panel width 73 ofabout 4 inches and panel height 75 of about 16 inches. It is preferableto provide a panel height 75 at least 1.5 times the panel width 73, orin a knee sock embodiment it is preferable to provide a panel height 75in a range of three to four times the panel width 73. A panel width of 4to 6 inches enables the sock opening to stretch to at least 24 inches incircumference.

Conventional materials such as cotton thread, wool yarn, etc. includelittle inherent elasticity and can be stretched to a limited degree.Different knitting patterns provide an interlocking web configurationthat can be pulled or stretched to provide additional elasticity.However, most interlocking stitching provides for cross stretching ineither a vertical or horizontal direction at a time. The interlockingthreads or fibers can be form a diamond shape that can be pulledhorizontally or vertically, or some combination, but the ability of theknit to expand is limited. Conventional socks can stretch from 20% to50% of the sock circumference.

A sock knitted with yarn composed of cotton/polyester/spandex blend in aproportion of 61/37/2% in a single solid color with no knitted patternscan provide a stretch of about 25% of the circumference of the garment.Desirable materials for expansive panel 70 include materials such asstretch lace and Spandex. Spandex can stretch up to almost 500% toprovide significant elasticity. Stretch fabrics, or elastomerics such asspandex (aka elastane) are suited for use in clothing. Materials such asspandex provide a four way stretch and are known as four way stretchmaterials. One suitable spandex material can be utilized in anembodiment with a weight greater than 150 grams per square meter, and inanother embodiment with a weight of about 200 grams per square meter.Another suitable material is lace spandex having a weight of about 120grams per square meter. Four way stretch material having a weight of 80g to 300 g per square meter can be suitable for providing an expansivepanel.

Stretch fabrics are produced by a flat knit machine with yarn or threadcomprising spandex fibers that are inherently expandable, and the fabricwill expand in all directions at the same time. This is known in theindustry as four way stretch fabric. The fabric does not rely solely oninterlock or cross stretch but provides elasticity to expand in alldirections by utilizing yarn or threads that are elastic and can expand.It is known that feet perspire, and socks have been constructed frommaterials that provide cushioning and allow the moisture to wick awayfrom the foot. Cotton socks, for example, provide both cushioning andwicking. Materials such as spandex can be too slippery to be optimal fora foot section 55 of a sock. The current invention combines theadvantages of different materials to provide different functions in theareas of a sock where they are needed. Knitted socks and hosierygarments have been traditionally knitted on a circular knitting machinethat produces a tubular garment of a first material with a consistent orfixed diameter, especially in the leg section of the garment. Anexpansive panel 70 of a second material can be connected to the legsection 51 of a knitted sock, replacing cutaway 60 as shown in FIG. 4.Expansive panel 70 can be finished at panel border 79 prior toattachment to leg section 51. In one embodiment, panel border 79 isfinished with an overlock hem, also known as a serged hem. The finishedhem can be between ⅛^(th) of an inch, and one inch, for example, tocreate a clean finish and create panel border 79. One particular methodof creating the overlock hem is to utilize an overlock machine toproduce two straight rows of stitching on the outside surface (notshown) and an interlocked stitch on the inside surface (not shown) toprevent fraying of the material of expansive panel 70. Other stitchingor joining means known in the art can also be utilized to create panelborder 79.

Expansive panel 70 is shown with panel width 73 and panel height 75. Invarious embodiments, the shape of expansive panel 70 may vary. Forexample, in a child's sock, panel width 73 may be 2 inches while panelheight may be 3 inches. Other ranges of intermediate dimensions may beutilized to produce different hosiery, socks, or other garments.Additional dimensions can be utilized in crew length socks and knee highlength socks.

FIG. 6 presents a perspective view of an expansive garment in anembodiment of the invention. As discussed herein, the expansive panel 70can comprise different sizes, and FIG. 6 is not drawn to scale, andrepresents one possible embodiment of the invention. Expansive panel 70has been attached to the sock by joining means, namely sewing theexpansive panel 70 to leg section 51 and the two can be connected bymachine stitch and clean finished. A serger machine can be used tomachine stitch and clean finish the seam. This provides what is known asa serged stitch or overlock stitch. Other joining means of attachmentcan be utilized. Joining means can include hand sewing, machine sewing,gluing, or heat fusing synthetic threads or yarns. A shown in FIG. 6,opening bottom 62 has been joined to panel bottom 72 opening first side64 has been joined to panel first side 74, opening second side 66 hasbeen joined to panel second side 76, panel first top 77 has beenattached to first opening top 67, while panel second top 78 has beenjoined to second opening top 68. One method of attachment of expansivepanel 70 is to turn the sock inside out, align the panel as describedherein, and stitch the expansive panel 70 to the leg section 51 using aserged stitch or overlock stitch. Expansive panel 70 can be connected toleg section 51 by stitching to create a single U-shaped seam 95 (asshown in FIG. 7) extending from panel first top 77 to panel second top78. Upon turning the sock right side out, the stitching is hidden on theinside of the sock garment. Other joining means for attachment aresuitable including hand sewing, machine sewing, adhesive glue, heatfusing or a combination of joining means.

The expansive panel 70 of the invention provides the additional benefitof retaining the sock against drooping or sagging as the tensionrequired to resist gravity is distributed across a greater area.Further, the garment of the present invention provides increasedcomfort. The retaining tension of a convention sock is concentrated atthe band while the device of the present invention distributes theretaining tension through the area of the expansive panel 70. Expansivepanel 70 enables the sock to stretch and recover much more than theconventional sock. A sock in an embodiment of the invention with anexpansive panel 70 composed of a four way stretch fabric can provide astretch of about 100% of the circumference of the garment. For example,a 100% stretch can accommodate an ankle circumference of 12 inches and acalf circumference of 24 inches or more while maintaining position andcomfort about both the ankle and the calf of the user. Utilizing a fourway stretch fabric that can stretch to five times its original size, asock comprising an opening circumference that is one half conventionalknitted sock material and one half expansive panel can expand to morethan two and a half times its original opening circumference. An openingcircumference comprising one third expansive panel can expand to morethan 1.5 times the original opening circumference due the stretch of theexpansive panel. For example a sock with a twelve inch openingcircumference at rest and having a panel border that occupies fourinches of the opening circumference provides one third of the openingcircumference at rest and can be expected to provide stretch of 166%percent of the opening circumference at rest from the expansive panelplus the limited stretch provided by the knitted materials comprisingthe remaining two thirds of the opening circumference.

Four way stretch spandex fabric including stretch lace, stretch mesh, orspandex knits with high elasticity and recovery are suitable materialsfor expansive panel 70. The expansive panel 70 can be incorporated intoa variety of socks and garments including, but not limited to those madefrom cotton, polyester blend, nylon blend, cashmere, wool, silk, linen,or bamboo blend. Spandex is a polyester-polyurethane copolymer thatprovides desirable elasticity and durability and can be used ingarments. A full length sock from seven inches to 30 inches can be knitin the conventional manner on a circular knitting machine.

FIG. 7 presents a side view of a flexible garment on the foot and leg ofa person. As shown, the expansive panel 70 panel is expanded toaccommodate a user's leg. Finished hem 80 is shown at the top ofexpansive panel 70. U-shaped seam 95 is shown between leg section 51 andexpansive panel 70. Socks worn with pants are typically only visiblebelow the hem or cuff of the pants and the ankle region of the sock isrevealed. Positioning the expansive panel above the hem line of thepants means that it is not visible. The ankle section is visible and canlook like a conventional sock made of conventional knitted materials.The portion of the finished garment as shown in FIG. 7 that is tubularcan surround the ankle of a user, not shown. This is the lower portionof leg section 51 adjacent to heel section 52. The garment canaccommodate an ankle of a wearer that has, for example, an anklecircumference of 10 inches shown as ankle circumference 19 in FIG. 2.The garment can expand as shown in the figure to accommodate a calf 34that has an increased calf circumference 31 as shown in FIG. 2; thus anembodiment of the invention can expand to accommodate a calfcircumference of 20 inches representing 100% garment expansiveness fromthe ankle region to the calf region of a wearer. FIG. 7, although notdrawn to scale shows an approximate 50% increase in diameter from ankleto calf, corresponding to the leg shown in FIG. 2, and assuming circulargeometry, this represents 100% increase in circumference.

Compression force was measured for a sixteen inch high knee sock whenstretched to different sizes. A compression force gradient was measuredwhere the compression force provided by the circumference of the sockaround panel border 79 was lower than the compression force provided bythe circumference of the sock at panel bottom 72. In this particularembodiment, panel bottom 72 was located near the ankle of the wearer.Panel border 79 was located around the calf of the wearer. Exemplarydata is included below.

A B C Calf 15-18 in. 18-21 in. 21-24 in. circumference Panel bottom 15mm Hg 20 mm Hg 30 mm Hg compression force Panel border 8 mm Hg 15 mm Hg20 mm Hg compression force Compression 7 mm Hg 5 mm Hg 10 mm Hg GradientFor each column A, B, and C, the panel bottom compression force wasmeasured at the ankle region of the wearer corresponding to panel bottom72. The panel border compression force was measured at the top of thesock approximately around band 56 and panel border 79, surrounding aportion of the calf 34 region of the wearer. A sock in the embodiment ofthe invention provides a pressure gradient where increased compressionforce is provide at the ankle region. This is opposite of theconventional sock that provides compression at the top of the sock. Indata column A, a calf circumference of a user was utilized in the rangeof 15 to 18 inches. The panel bottom compression force was measured at15 millimeters of mercury and the panel border compression force wasmeasured at 8 millimeters of mercury. The difference, or compressiongradient, is 7 millimeters of mercury. The sock, when used in thismanner, provides light compression. In data column B, a calfcircumference of a user was utilized in the range of 18 to 21 inches.The panel bottom compression force was measured at 20 millimeters ofmercury and the panel border compression force was measured at 15millimeters of mercury. The difference, or compression gradient, is 5millimeters of mercury. The sock, when used in this manner, providesmild compression. In data column C, a calf circumference of a user wasutilized in the range of 21 to 24 inches. The panel bottom compressionforce was measured at 30 millimeters of mercury and the panel bordercompression force was measured at 20 millimeters of mercury. Thedifference, or compression gradient, is 10 millimeters of mercury. Thesock, when used in this manner, provides moderate compression. One sockcan be utilized to provide three levels of gradient compression,depending on the size of the lower leg of the user. The presentinvention can be used to provide a pressure gradient to the lower leg ofa person and help reduce swelling or fluid retention in the lower leg,for example below the knee. Expansive panel dimensions can be providedin different configurations to provide different amounts ofaccommodation and compression. The total expansive properties of the topof the garment are influenced by the width of the expansive panel. Thecompression gradient is influenced by the difference in the expansivepanel width at the top of the garment compared to the width near thepanel bottom. The width and length of the expansive panel can beselected to provide more absolute expansion with a larger expansivepanel and can be selected to provide a greater pressure gradient byincreasing the difference in width between the panel border and theregion near the panel bottom.

FIG. 8 presents a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention asworn by a user. Numerous knitting patterns are known in the art andnovel patterns are continuously created. Knitting can utilize threads ofdifferent colors to created knitted patterns that are appealing orfashionable. Socks and hosiery with patterns can be more visuallyappealing and attractive and therefore more desirable. The presentinvention allows for colored threads or colored yarns to be utilized inproviding or constructing a knitted sock. At least two colors of yarncan be utilized to create a contrasting pattern knitted into the sock.The method of the present invention can utilize a sock with a pattern ina leg section 51 or in a foot section 55. Novel or conventional patternsand designs can be incorporated into a circular knit sock by means knownin the art or newly discovered. FIG. 8 shows a flexible garment withpattern elements 82, 84, and 86 present in leg section 51 and footsection 55. Expansive panel 70 comprises four way stretch material andcan be selected in a complimentary color to pattern elements, forexample pattern element 82. U-shaped seam 95 is shown between expansivepanel 70 and leg section 51. Finished hem 80 is shown at the top ofexpansive panel 70. In one particular embodiment, float yarns can bepresent in leg section 51, to create, for example pattern element 82,and expansive panel 70 is free of float yarns. Similarly, float yarnscan be present in foot section 55 to create, for example, patternelement 84 and pattern element 86.

Further, the materials operations described herein can be replaced byany sensible substitute materials. The many features and advantages ofthe invention are apparent from the detailed specification and, thus, itis intended by the appended claims to cover all such features andadvantages of the invention that fall within the true spirit and scopeof the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact article e of manufacture illustrated anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A sock comprising: a wedge shaped heel section; afoot section connected below said heel section; a leg section connectedabove said foot, said leg section including a U-shaped opening abovesaid heel section; an expansive panel extending from a panel bottomadjacent said heel section to a panel border; a U-shaped seam formed byjoining said expansive panel to said leg section; and wherein saidexpansive panel is wider at said panel border than at said panel bottomand is configured to provide compression around said panel bottom thatis greater than compression around said panel border.
 2. The sock ofclaim 1 wherein said leg section comprises a first material and saidexpansive panel comprises a second material.
 3. The sock of claim 2wherein said first material comprises cotton and said second materialcomprises a four way stretch material.
 4. The sock of claim 3 whereinsaid panel border is positioned at least six inches from said heelsection.
 5. The sock of claim 4 wherein said U-shaped seam extends froma panel first top to said panel bottom to a panel second top andmeasures a distance of at least twelve inches.
 6. The sock of claim 5wherein said panel bottom is positioned less than three inches from saidheel section.
 7. The sock of claim 3 wherein said expansive panel isconfigured to double in size upon stretching.
 8. The flexible garment ofclaim 5 wherein said leg section comprises a region of continuouscircumference adjacent said heel section and said panel border canexpand to at least twice the circumference of said region of continuouscircumference.
 9. The flexible garment of claim 8 wherein said expansivepanel comprises spandex material having a weight of at least 150 gramsper square meter.
 10. The flexible garment of claim 7 wherein saidexpansive panel comprises a panel height and a panel width, and saidpanel height is at least 3 times said panel width.
 11. The flexiblegarment of claim 10 wherein said foot section is knitted with at leasttwo colors of yarn to create a pattern in said foot section.
 12. Theflexible garment of claim 10 wherein said leg section is knitted with atleast two colors of yarn to create a pattern in said leg section andsaid expansive panel is free of float yarn.
 13. A flexible garment forthe foot comprising: a foot section produced by knitting; a leg sectionproduced by knitting; an expansive panel comprising a four way stretchmaterial and connected to said leg section by stitching said expansivepanel to said leg section to create a continuous U-shaped seam; said legsection comprises a band and said expansive panel comprises a panelborder and said band and said panel border combine to define an opening;said leg section extends at least seven inches from said opening; andsaid expansive panel extends to a panel bottom located at least sixinches from said opening.
 13. The flexible garment of claim 12 wherein apressure gradient is provided when worn by a user and compression ofsaid garment is higher around said panel bottom than compression aroundsaid opening.
 14. The flexible garment of claim 13 wherein said openingcomprises a circumference of less than twelve inches at rest and saidcan expand to at least 24 inches when worn.
 15. A method of making theflexible garment of claim 1 comprising the steps of: providing a knittedsock; removing a U-shaped cutout from said knitted sock; providing anexpansive panel; and connecting said expansive panel to said knittedsock by joining means.
 16. A method as recited in claim 15 wherein: saidjoining means comprises a serged stitch to create an overlock seambetween said expansive panel and said leg section of said knitted sock.17. A method as recited in claim 16 wherein said leg section comprises aknitted decorative pattern.